The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
REVOLUTIONARY COOPERATIVE TRICK-TAKING CARD GAME (2019) by THOMAS SING, published by KOSMOS. 2-5 players work together to complete 50 SCENARIOS (linked mini-missions) as astronauts on a mission to find Planet Nine. Each mission has TASKS — specific cards individual players must win in specific tricks. COMMUNICATION IS RESTRICTED to a single 'communication token' with limited signals. Won KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2020 (German Game of the Year — Enthusiast). Sequel THE CREW: MISSION DEEP SEA (2021) also won Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022. Considered a REVOLUTIONARY design that invented COOP TRICK-TAKING as a genre. 15-30 min per game.
What is The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine?
THE CREW: THE QUEST FOR PLANET NINE is a REVOLUTIONARY COOPERATIVE TRICK-TAKING CARD GAME designed by THOMAS SING, published by KOSMOS (Germany, 2019). 2-5 players work together as ASTRONAUTS on a mission to find PLANET NINE (hypothetical 9th planet in our solar system). Considered a REVOLUTIONARY design that INVENTED COOPERATIVE TRICK-TAKING as a legitimate genre — trick-taking games (Hearts, Bridge, Spades) had been COMPETITIVE for centuries; The Crew turned it upside-down. WON KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2020 (German Game of the Year — Enthusiast category, hobby gamer award). Sequel THE CREW: MISSION DEEP SEA (2021) also WON KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2022 (repeat victory extremely rare). GAMEPLAY: Card deck of 40 cards (numbered 1-9 in 4 SUIT colors + 4 rocket TRUMP cards). Play through 50 SCENARIOS in campaign order — each scenario has TASKS (specific cards individual players must WIN in a specific trick). E.g. Mission 1: 'Player A must win the pink 3'. Mission 20: 'Player A wins the green 5 in the first trick; Player B wins the yellow 9 in the last trick'. Mission 50: multiple linked tasks + order requirements. TRICK-TAKING RULES: Standard follow-suit + trump rules (rocket cards trump colors); highest card of led suit or highest rocket wins trick. COOPERATIVE COMMUNICATION restrictions: Each player has ONE COMMUNICATION TOKEN — during game, can once use it to signal ONE card in hand by placing token on it in one of 3 positions (top = my only card of that color, middle = my highest, bottom = my lowest). VERY LIMITED communication forces INFERENCE + tactical trick-play. If any task fails, MISSION FAILS + must retry. 15-30 min per attempt. RECEPTION: Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020; Spiel des Jahres 2020 recommended (rarely happens for Kennerspiel winners); BGG top-200 consistently; Golden Geek Best Card Game 2020; considered a MASTERPIECE of cooperative card game design. SEQUEL THE CREW: MISSION DEEP SEA (2021) — ocean-explorer reskin with variable difficulty tasks + more replayable. Considered EASIER to introduce than Planet Nine's linear 50-mission campaign.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–5
Duration
~20 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
Table for card play
Country of origin
🇩🇪 Germany
Estimated origin
Designed 2018 Thomas Sing; released 2019 Kosmos; Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020; sequel 2021
Olympic
No
Popularity
major
How it works
Objective
Complete ALL TASKS in current mission by winning specific cards in specific tricks. Communication is highly restricted. Fail = replay mission.
Rules
Basic rules
Standard follow-suit trick-taking + rocket trumps
Rockets trump colors; highest card of led suit or rocket wins.
TASKS: specific cards specific players must win
E.g. 'Player A wins pink 3 in second trick'.
Communication token: single use per hand
Signal 1 card by token position (top/middle/bottom).
All tasks must succeed = mission complete
One task fail = mission failed = retry.
Play 50 missions in campaign order
Progressive difficulty; unlock story.
Scoring
Binary success per mission. Track progress through 50-mission campaign.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Mission completed | Advance to next mission |
| Mission failed | Retry same mission |
| Campaign complete (mission 50) | Story resolution |
Win condition · Complete all 50 missions in Quest for Planet Nine campaign.
Playing area
Called
Table for card play
Dimensions
~60×60cm typical
Each player has 8-13 card hand (depending on player count), communication token, task cards in front. Center = trick play area.
Equipment
The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine box
$15 USD; 40 cards + 50 mission book + communication tokens
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (sequel)
$15 USD; variable-difficulty tasks + more replayable
40-card deck: numbered 1-9 in 4 colors + 4 rocket trumps
Standard trick-taking deck
Task cards (in mission book)
50 mission scenarios in linear order
Communication tokens (1 per player)
Single-use signaling per hand
Strategies
Plan task order early
Some tasks must be completed in specific tricks — plan trick sequence.
Use communication token wisely
Only 1 signal per hand — save for critical information.
Trump economy
Rockets are limited; save for winning specific task cards.
Void-color inference
If player doesn't follow suit, they're void — deduce their hand.
Retry familiarity
Failed missions become easier on 2nd/3rd attempt with hand knowledge.
Terminology
- Task
- Specific card a specific player must win in a specific trick.
- Communication token
- Single-use signal per hand; placement encodes info.
- Rocket
- Trump suit (4 cards) that beat all colors.
- Mission Commander
- Player who receives rocket 4 (highest trump); starts first trick.
- Void
- Player has no cards of led suit; can play any card.
Major competitions
Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020 (WINNER)
annual · Germany · since 2011
Spiel des Jahres 2020 recommended
annual · Germany · since 1978
Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022 sequel win
annual · Germany · since 2011
Golden Geek Best Card Game 2020
annual · worldwide · since 2006
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Kosmos (publisher)
Founded 1822 · Stuttgart, Germany
Thames & Kosmos (US distributor)
Founded 2001 · USA
Spiel des Jahres jury
Founded 1978 · Germany
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Thomas Sing (Germany) — Designer; also created The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (2021)
- Marco Armbruster + Oliver Freudenreich — Illustrators
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Buy The Crew (~$15)
Cheap entry; complete package.
- 2
Start at Mission 1; play sequentially
Difficulty ramps naturally.
intermediate
- 1
Buy Mission Deep Sea for replayability
Variable-difficulty tasks vs linear Planet Nine.
advanced
- 1
Play missions 45-50 (endgame)
Multiple linked tasks + order requirements = puzzle.
Frequently asked
What is The Crew?+
REVOLUTIONARY COOPERATIVE TRICK-TAKING CARD GAME by Thomas Sing (2019, Kosmos). 2-5 players work together to complete 50 SCENARIOS as astronauts finding Planet Nine. Each mission has TASKS — specific cards specific players must win in specific tricks. Communication severely restricted (1 signaling token per hand). Won KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2020. Considered revolutionary — invented cooperative trick-taking as a genre. 15-30 min per game. Sequel The Crew: Mission Deep Sea also won Kennerspiel 2022.
Which Crew game should I buy — Planet Nine or Deep Sea?+
BOTH ARE GREAT. PLANET NINE has 50-MISSION LINEAR CAMPAIGN (novel scenarios, but once completed no reason to replay). DEEP SEA has VARIABLE-DIFFICULTY TASK SYSTEM (mix + match difficulty for infinite replayability). Recommend DEEP SEA for INFINITE PLAY, PLANET NINE for STRUCTURED CAMPAIGN experience. Rules identical between both. Deep Sea is Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022 winner.
How is The Crew different from Hearts or Spades?+
REVOLUTIONARY DIFFERENCE: The Crew is COOPERATIVE trick-taking; Hearts + Spades are COMPETITIVE. In Hearts, you AVOID winning tricks with hearts; in Spades, you PREDICT + WIN certain tricks. In The Crew, you MUST WIN specific cards in specific tricks — but communication is HEAVILY RESTRICTED (1 signal token per hand). Result: fascinating cooperative puzzle where you use trick-taking mechanics to solve group challenges via inference rather than words. Completely new experience even for veteran trick-taking players.
Sources & provenance
- Kosmos — The Crew— Kosmos
- BoardGameGeek — The Crew— BGG
- Wikipedia — The Crew— Wikipedia
- Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020— Spiel des Jahres